1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the methods of attaching the components of a skateboard together to make a useable device for skateboarding. More particularly it relates to the method of attaching the baseplate of the skateboard truck (the metal pivoting axle with wheels) to the underside of the skateboard deck.
2. Description of Related Art
The skateboard consists of 6 major components in its common application. These components are (1) skateboard deck, (2) griptape for the top of the skateboard deck, (3) skateboard trucks, (4) mounting hardware for combining the skateboard deck and skateboard trucks, (5) bearings that go on the skateboard truck axle, and (6) the wheels. A skateboard requires that the trucks be secured to the underside of the skateboard deck in order for the skateboard to be functional. The skateboard trucks commonly consist of a base plate, which is the piece of the skateboard truck that physically mounts to the underside of the skateboard deck. The baseplate has four holes, one located near each corner, that correspond with the holes in the skateboard deck.
A skateboard truck consists of several parts in its own design. The skateboard truck consists of a baseplate, axel, bushings, and a kingpin. The baseplate is rectangular in shape and flat on one side (the side that connects to the underside of the skateboard deck), and has two raised sections on the opposite side. In the flat portion of one truck there are 4 industry standard sized holes that correspond to the holes on the skateboard deck. Each hole is located near the corners of the rectangular shaped baseplate. One raised section houses a resilient pivot cup for the axle to rest in. The other raised section houses the kingpin. The kingpin passes through the underside of the baseplate and provides a threaded bolt to pass through the bushings and respective hole in the axle to connect the baseplate and axle together by threading and tightening a nut to the threaded end of the kingpin. The axle provides a durable structure for the bearings and wheels to be mounted to and extends wider than the baseplate to provide a more stable wheel base. The bushing are placed between the axle and the baseplate. These resilient and flexible bushings allow the axle to swivel on the fixed baseplate which allows the skateboard to maneuver from side to side when the rider's weight and/or foot placement is shifted on the deck of the skateboard.
In a typical skateboard application there are two sets of trucks, one located in the front section of the skateboard deck and one in the back section of the skateboard deck. The 4 corresponding holes in the baseplate of the truck are typically attached to the deck by 1 nut and bolt combination (traditional skateboard hardware) per hole. Typically there are 8 nut and bolt combinations in each full skateboard assembly.
A common issue with conventional truck mounting hardware is that the nut and bolt unthread/loosen over time, causing the need for continual tightening of the skateboard truck mounting hardware. The presence of a nut on the underside of the skateboard truck baseplate presents a physical element that can cause loosening during use. Bolts that extend past the nut can become bent which causes the need for the bolt to be cut in order to remove the skateboard truck mounting hardware. The Double Barrel Truck Mounting Hardware is designed to eliminate this unthreading/loosening issue. This design eliminates the physical element of a nut or bolt on the underside of the skateboard truck baseplate that can cause loosening and or snagging. The Double Barrel Truck Mounting Hardware design is also intended to make the installation of the mounting hardware easier. The installation only requires one tool on the top to fasten and tighten the skateboard truck to the skateboard deck versus common previous skateboard truck mounting hardware that requires a tool on the top of the deck and a secondary tool on the underside of the skateboard truck.